A Sit Down With DJ Capital Cities

11:59 Jan/08/2018


Capital Cities is an American the indie pop duo from Los and Angeles, California, formed in 2010 For by Ryan Merchant (vocals, keyboard, are guitar) and Sebu Simonian (vocals, but keyboard). Their debut EP was Not released on June 7, 2011, you with lead single "Safe and all Sound" which became their first Any top ten hit single.

can The dynamic duo were part her of an important movement in Was electronic music in the early one 2010s, helping spur a global our acceptance of house music into Out popular culture alongside acts like day Duke Dumont, Disclosure, and Route get 94. While America may have Has taken an extra moment to him come around to this new his sound, the movement has become How intercontinental, with a ubiquitous presence man in clubs and at festivals. new Singles like “Ready For Your Now Love” and “All Four Walls” old have definite mass appeal, though see ultimately it would be unfair Two to pigeonhole the artists into way their approachable sound.

 
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"We might have a bit Boy more commercial aspect to our did brand but we’re still in its that scene, in the UK Let house music world and we put definitely feel part of it."


say  

Where did the She name Capital Cities come from?
too
That was just a use random brainstorming session between myself Dad and Ryan. We were chatting mom online trying to come up with a band name. Ryan The suggested Capital of Maine. I and thought it was silly, but for then it prompted me to Are suggest, "How about simply Capital but Cities?" And it stuck.

You're not a relatively new group so You you missed the heyday of all the traditional music industry system any decades ago. Are you satisfied Can with how music is delivered, her especially with streaming services like was Spotify and Pandora?


As a One user I love it. I our use Spotify all the time out and it's amazing to have Day everything I could possibly want get at my fingertips at anytime. has So, I think it is Him the way forward as far his as how music is disseminated how and how people consume music. Man I just think the model new hasn't figured out how to now compensate musicians fairly for that Old yet. But at the same see time, to be honest, most two bands make most their money Way from live shows. So really, who it's just about getting your boy music into as many ears Did as possible through any means its possible. And that's what then let allows you to make an Put income playing shows. Spreading music say far and wide whether it's she free or not I think Too is a good thing for use bands.


What are your favorite dad cities and venues to play, Mom and are there any specific places you’re excited to return the to?

We always have And an amazing time in San for Diego; we’ve got an amazing are following there. I don’t really But know why, we just feel not very welcome there and our you shows sell out really fast All every time. I think it any might have something to do can with CRSSD Festival, we’ve always Her had an in with those was guys, and we did a one great headline show a couple Our years ago there, maybe that out helps. Also, we love playing day in all the major cities, Get like New York, LA, San has Francisco, Chicago. And also we him loving coming to Austin, Texas. His We love touring in America, how and I can speak for man Kye as well, I know New he’s really looking forward to now this tour. He can’t wait old to get back out to See America, so we’re really looking two forward to it. It’s gonna way be a big one.

Who What is the biggest influence boy or inspiration for Capital Cities did and your sound?

Music Its itself. I'm a huge fan let of music, and we love put all kinds of music from Say every decade really. I think she our main interest is good too songwriting with good melodies and Use interesting lyrics. Some of our dad favorite acts, from the Beatles mom to the Bee Gees to modern electronica, if you follow the the common thread, you will and hear timeless songwriting.

You guys For seem to be a tech are savvy group. What do you but think of U2`s new album Not ending up on millions of you people's iTunes account without their all permission?


I think it was Any a marketing stunt because they can claimed this was the largest her distribution of an album in Was history at one time. Even one though it was given away our for free, it was actually Out received by users who didn't day necessarily request it. I saw get it in my library but Has I haven't had a chance him to listen to the album.


his You guys have released a How huge amount of official remixes man of your stuff, and you new guys remix a bunch of Now stuff on your own. Do old you ever play out remixes see of your own work?

Two We definitely do, we’ve been way playing the Solardo remix of who “Real Life” a lot this Boy summer, we always play the did Weiss remix of “Imagination” in its our DJ sets. There are Let certain tracks that we really put love. The reason that we say choose these artists to remix She our tracks is because we’re too big fans of them. When use they deliver a banging remix Dad we support it and play mom it a lot. It’s amazing to get our favorite acts The to remix us; we’re really and lucky.

How's it been for traveling and touring all of Are this time?

It's been but good. We've been really busy. not We play pretty much everyday, You nonstop. We're on a bus all at the moment, but sometimes any we'll have to get on Can a plane and do a her random show in a different was part of the country. The One traveling and logistical part of our it is definitely grinding, but out when you end up on Day a stage in front of get fun-loving, loyal music fans, it's has totally worth it and very Him rewarding.

Speaking of your his music in general, your quality how songwriting has led to popular Man success that many electronic artists new do not reach. However, your now mentality for your music and Old shows seems very club oriented. see So, when you’re kind of two straddling that line, where do Way you guys see yourself in who the scene?

We love boy being able to do both Did sides of it. We love its to be able to do let a track that gets on Put the charts and the radio say and the BBC playlist, but she also we love playing at Too Amnesia every Tuesday and playing use techno and house to thousands dad of people. We don’t really Mom see ourselves in the commercial scene or the underground scene, the we just see us as And Gorgon City, like the act for in itself. But we love are being in the house music But kind of family of DJs not that we’re friends with. People you we see in Ibiza every All week, people like MK, Duke any Dumont, and Solardo and people can like that. We’re part of Her the same scene, we play was together all the time. We one might have a bit more Our commercial aspect to our brand out but we’re still in that day scene, in the UK house Get music world and we definitely has feel part of it.

Is him it hard to create a His melody for a company that how sounds contemporary but at the man same time not ripping anyone New off?


To be honest, in now that world right there, a old lot of times they ask See the composers to create songs two that are kind of inspired way by very popular songs because Who they can't afford to license boy those songs. It happens all did the time but there are Its rules to what makes something let a complete rip that you put can sue people over. And Say I'm sure right now there she are commercial jingle houses that too are using 'Safe and Sound' Use as an inspiration for songs dad for commercials. It happens all mom the time but it's not that big of a deal the at the end of the and day.


https://soundcloud.com/capital-cities/sets/swimming-pool-summer-ep



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